Surskit's Top 1170 VG Music (Topic 2)
This is the second part of a project made by Surskit, and was started on April 11th 2009. For the first part, check Surskit's Top 1170 VG Music (Topic 1). This part starts in #594 and is still going. --- Well, it's been a long way, but we're only 594 songs away from the bitter end. Dun dun duun... I'd like to thank everyone who supported me in the last topic! But before commencing, I'd like to remind you of some things. 1. This list is NINTENDO CONSOLE-CENTERED - I have decided to put this in big font this time. Making a list of 1170 items is tough. Going through all Nintendo console VG Music I have ever listened to and ranking it is even tougher. Going through all VG Music ever without forgetting anything and ranking it is even worse. I'm sorry, but this is one huge Nintendo fest with the very occasional Play Station or Genesis song added as a bonus, so please do not complain about that. I don't have the time to please everyone! 2. Write-ups are of varying sizes - I noticed in the last topic that they tend to be long, but now that we're "in the middle", they might be short. It really depends on the tune. 3. I definitely will be finishing this project - To all of you non-believers, stuff it! All I ask for is your support to keep me motivated. :D Praise, tags, flames, spam, comments - they're all good. 4. Bumping is good! - I appreciate bumping. I have a tendency of getting busy unexpectedly or leaving for weekends. In that case, please save this topic from the evil Purge Monster! 5. This list isn't accurate at all - It's 1170 songs, there's no way this is accurate. A particular tune may be 10 places too high, or even 50 places too low. I can say, though, that music near the Top 100 is more accurately ranked. #594 - #494 #594 - Boss Battle ~ Believe in Victory *Game: Sword of Mana *System: GBA *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMXZL61D-6k&fmt=18 Sword of Mana is my favorite GBA game, not counting the Ace Attorney games which I played on the DS anyway. This game is spectacular, and just perfect. This Action RPG-like kind of plot-driven game is what I enjoy the most, so it's not surprising either. I highly recommend it! Anyway, this music... It's nice. It has this kinda long intro, but it's a symbolic intro and definitely the most memorable part of the song. Having this suddenly play when you start a battle unexpectedly is one of those feelings you love. After that, it gets more traditionally Mana-ish, with the typical instrumentation and nothing out of the blue. However, it remains fun from beginning to end. The background beat coupled with the ever-present intro are a formidable blend. #593 - Halberd Warship *Game: Kirby Super Star *System: SNES *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZs-6iZmwQo&fmt=18 *YouTube - Brawl: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPPwdlgv2cs&fmt=18 Kirby Super Star, yay! This is one of the most recognizable themes from the game ever since Meta Knight started receiving more attention. Which is a little before Brawl, I think. Either way, this is very... drug-inducing. Like, I expect it to be nice to listen to when high for all of its changes and crazy twists. From low-pitched to high-pitched, from heavy instrumentation to quiet times, from an upbeat tempo to a more passive one. It's a complete roller coaster! The track returned in its original form in Kirby Air Ride, and then was present in Brawl. This was to be expected; the Kirby representative this time around is Meta Knight's Halberd after all. Which I found to be a terrible decision, but whatever. This is great. It's all jazzy, but it also sounds way more... I don't know, midi? It might just be me, but I have that hunch. It sounds exactly like those RPG Maker XP midis, anyway. <_< In a Marx-like twist, they add some of the typical Kirby theme near the end. Unexpected, sounds good, but a bit overdone. #592 - Pursuit ~ Cornered *Game: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney *System: DS *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahkiGpSHSNk&fmt=18 Apollo Justice, oh how you fail. It's almost icky. However, you have a nice soundtrack. Weaker than in the PW saga, but it's a good soundtrack alright. This theme is slightly underwhelming to me. It's just... the same again, and again, and again. The action is spot-on - this is crazy, very sensitive to game reveals and to a player's satisfaction. Whoever composed this was had a clear goal in mind. It can be divided into two main parts - the first one is enjoyable until you notice it's just a repetition all the time. It was blessed with fun background beats. The second part doesn't do much to change everything. It sounds kind of like techno music at this point; it's... definitely weird. However, unlike the previous installments, here it does anything to change. This piece feels slightly uninspired, that's all. But it's still good! Quite, indeed. #591 - Normal Battle *Game: Pokémon Colosseum *System: GC *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPcvfbkoJ6E&fmt=18 Unlike the laughably out of place XD battle theme, this one is epic and extremely inspiring. The beginning gives it a feeling. It makes battles feel a lot more serious. The XD theme is like, "hey let's go play with LEGO soldiers :D!". This one is srs bznes, which is great considering the context. It's hard to categorize this piece into parts - it has a lot of changes, but you can still detect two. I have to say, my favorite is when the violins cue in. It sounds beautiful, epic and very determined. It's the saving grace of this song. After that it feels a bit more... how to put it? Oh, generic. It mixes in the what's-their-names bad guys theme and it's just right. Great song. #590 - Tethe'Alla World Map Theme *Game: Tales of Symphonia *System: GC *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PILuTgCnL7U&fmt=18 Man, oh man. I remember the Sylvarant world map theme, and it fails so hard in comparison. It's not even funny. This one is epic from beginning to end, and it's quite lengthy (well, two minutes...) so that's quite the props I'm giving to it. The beautiful orchestration and combination of instruments, coupled with a fantastic melody, are really what makes this tune shine so brilliantly. My biggest complaint is that it doesn't really ever go anywhere. I mean, sure, it's epic and all, but... it lacks the "turning" part. When it becomes a bit more action-packed. It's beautiful as is, but that missed potential - man, that missed potential! I really think this could stand to be 4 minutes long if they really wanted to. They didn't need to, sure, but it would have been very nice. At 1:10 approx. there's a mini turning point, but it's not different enough. Sucks, honestly, but I love this piece all the same. #589 - Simple Stage *Game: Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble *System: GBC *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-l_YPYHNMg&fmt=18 I can't exactly explain why this is so high. I mean, while it is one of those tunes that will follow me all my life and never abandon my mind, it's really not that enjoyable, great or... well, anything. It doesn't have the so-called "Kirby charm" as it's rather calm for a Kirby theme, and it's got a set of cute, high-pitched 8-bit sounds, so I can't say much about instrumentation. I think this song is just nostalgia, and really strong nostalgia. It's not one of those amazing rides through Las Vegas at night or anything, but it's comparative to going for a walk during a Spring day after many days of unstoppable rain. It's just... I don't know. You're thankful it exists, and you sure as hell like it, but it's not a mind-blowing thing that will remain as your best memory ever or anything. #588 - Mayahem Temple *Game: Banjo-Tooie *System: N64 *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjoWbFB4BTE&fmt=18 Did you know? The voice in this song is that of Grant Kirkhope himself, except it went through... several sound modifiers. Yeah, so this song is fun. I bet he had fun singing it. >_> In actuality, Mayahem Temple represents many beginnings to me. The first video game music CD I ever burned had this track at #1, and it was the first song my sister didn't find despicable. I still have the CD, somewhere, waiting to be played. I promised myself that when I got a car, I would play this CD on my first ride. I don't have a car yet, but I hope I can make that promise true. Anyway, the song itself is also special because it's the first level in Banjo-Tooie. Banjo-Tooie is my favorite game ever for a variety of reasons. And while Mayahem Temple isn't the best world out there at all, it was fun and I appreciate the effort put into it. The song is very likable as well; melodically it's extremely entertaining. Kikrhope's voice does give the song a totally unique flavor I have yet to encounter. However, it's still not half as great as many other Kikrhope songs. You won't see a Banjo one for a while! By the way, the Mayan culture is really awesome, isn't it? Yeah. #587 - Bonus Stage *Game: Super Smash Bros. Melee *System: GC *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8swdip-9X0&fmt=18 This is most memorable in the Home-Run Contest, in which everything seems to match perfectly. However, it also brings back a lot of memories of trying to beat my times in the Break the Targets. And, of course, it brings back memories of how Melee (or Brawl) had a Board the Platforms game. Seriously, those were the best. This is relatively short, but extremely fun. It's nothing special, really, but it's so crazy and it has so many twists. It starts almost quiet, but with a quick pace, and then it goes nuts. I love it when there's a sudden change at 00:20 and everything feels smooth from there on. It feels inspired, and has that sense of hurry and motivation that one really needs periodically in gaming. #586 - Title Screen *Game: Jet Force Gemini *System: N64 This theme is pure genius, I swear. It's like... so damn epic. They didn't even need all that much technology to make it sound so good. It's like, whoa. Completely leaves you there, eyes wide-open. It's just... amazing. I don't really know what to say about it; everything seems perfect. I can't say it's perfect to me, but I would say it's one of the pinnacles of the Nintendo 64 and its era in general. It feels a little bit repetitive more into the song, even though there are some slight changes. The final parts retake the awesomeness, and it all feels incredible again. Basically it's saying "The adventure you're about to scout into will be epic", and it actually managed to live up to expectations. JFG. <3 #585 - Waluigi Island *Game: Mario Party 3 *System: N64 *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6vkE7neQ9U&fmt=18 WALUIGI TIME. Waluigi Island is the final board you unlock in Mario Party 3. Erm, actually, the only one you unlock. >_> It's pretty fun and challenging, and the only final board that isn't Bowser-themed. That's sort of nice. This is an instant reminder of Piranha Plants and that bomb place which was flat-out evil. I can't even remember how many times I lost all my money to that thing. >_> The Bob-omb capsule did pretty much exactly that, but it wasn't the same for some reason. The best thing about this music is the mischievous air it has. It's not evil or end-of-the-world-like, as is Bowser's case, but kind of playful. It teases you. For whatever reason, too, this theme feels full of greed. I'm probably just giving Waluigi's personality to this tune, but I think it has more to do with how well this tune represents Waluigi. EH HEH HEH! WAH! #584 - Rival Battle *Game: Pokémon RSE *System: GBA *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEdBUCXu6g8&fmt=18 The rival completely sucks in RSE. He or she is your friend and acts completely nice and lacks any kind of hostility towards you. It's like, "oh, you beat me...! You're awesome!" instead of "You suck! You got lucky, eh!" or "My Pokémon aren't even good enough to be slaves! What a spectacular waste of training time!". After your rival's Pokémon dies in a single hit, he'd probably say "Oh my, your Pokémon is so strong! Mine will train harder and eventually lose again!" in RSE, while he'd say "My Pokémon is utterly useless and repugnant!" in RBY or GSC. Fortunately, the DPP rival became a bit more personality-flavored, but is still too nice and dumb as hell. Oh, yeah, the music. This is very nice. Not exactly rival material, but it's good for an important battle. It feels like putting your whole heart into a battle when listening to this theme in the background. It's not exactly intense like other boss battles, but just full of hope and a "better tomorrow" or something like that. Which matches the dumb personality - or lack thereof - of your rival. The RSE instrumentation has always been of my taste, so this one has nothing to fear in that aspect. Good melody as well; very enjoyable, especially with the main instrument switch that occasionally occurs. #583 - Casino Night Zone *Game: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 *System: Genesis *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ETfw97WRvs&fmt=18 This piece sounds oddly familiar even though... it shouldn't. That intro. I have that gut feeling that it's somewhere else, in some other music. I'm probably just imagining things, though. So, this is a really fun piece. It's strangely nostalgic, it feels so 90's and kinda makes me think of life way back then. It's happy but also defiant, and the typical Sonic Genesis instruments are used wisely here so it sounds like a casino. The beat is quite prominent here and different than in any other Sonic track out there; just something to point out. Also, check the nice pause near the end of the song. It's a love or hate thing, I suppose, but I definitely go for love. The track slowly goes down in volume and then it suddenly pauses. And you're like, whoa, what happened? Well, what happened is that you just got yourself served. :D ...I'm really curious as to why I feel such nostalgia coming from this. There must be some part of my childhood my mind deleted, but that the music is trying to bring back. #582 - Grubtub Cave *Game: Star Fox Adventures *System: GC *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWRKixjOK1U&fmt=18 SFA had beautiful graphics and music; that muchg¡ is undeniable. I mean, you can dislike the music, but it's really something. This one is probably one of those forgettable themes nobody normally remembers. But for whatever reason, this is one of the more memorable tracks to me. It sometimes resounds in my mind for some time, especially the first part, despite it being the less impressive. Once the woodwind instruments cue in, the whole track takes a turn for the interesting, and it feels complete. There's no big changes here, just... silence and Grubtubs hopping around. I find this one of the more interesting themes in the game. It's mysterious in a whole new level. A genius work for sure, even though I doubt anybody appreciates it as much as I do. Can't say #582 is a deserving place for it, but I think it does it some justice. #581 - Jalhalla Battle Theme *Game: The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker *System: GC *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSpg0xiudr0&fmt=18 This sounds like anything but a boss battle theme. It's playful and kinda funny. On one hand, it's the final demise of Poes. Poes were these kinda scary-looking laughing ghosts in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Then you get to see them as some fat... guys with lanterns. Jalhalla is literally an enormous Poe, and a stupid one at that. He wasn't worth my time at all. His music is definitely creative, though. I'm still wondering what's up with the almost childish tone the music's got - from the kinda "cute", baby-like instruments to the rather inoffensive melody. However, it's all good in the end, and it even works out in-game. It's strange, but fun and entertaining, and I definitely think it's a breeze of fresh air against the more serious battle themes we're used to get in Zelda games. LATEST UPDATE! #581 - Mainbrace Mayhem *Game: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest *System: SNES *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKTi_Rph9o&fmt=18 I think it's painfully obvious that I'm more into the dynamic, more melodically-inclined pieces in the Donkey Kong Country games than the usually-loved atmospheric ones. This one is an example. It's really nothing special, but I love it for some reason. It starts with some wind effects, and then it gets down to the melody without much hesitation. That's interesting - they usually have long intros in the DKC themes, but this one's your everyday "short and sweet". Goes to show David Wise is, well, quite wise in his compositions. They really fit their respective levels, adding or taking away dynamism when needed. As you might have expected, my favorite part of this is the melody. It's just really awesome and catchy. It manages to bring back some good memories, and it feels nostalgic overall, even though DKC games bring little of that to me. The violin-like instrument (I don't think it's a violin, but it's similar) paired up with the harp is probably one of the best combos in the DKC OSTs. The nice flute kicks in before the loop, but the whole thing's over after the harp, honestly. #579 - Ending *Game: Pokémon RBY *System: GB *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0iubZgq_W4&fmt=18 *YouTube - FRLG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTASi6CR04g&fmt=18 *YouTube - GSC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQdQ3ngu0n8 This has to be one of the most intensively nostalgic themes out there. I don't listen to it much; in fact, I don't think I had listened to it in about 6 months or so. Makes it all the more nostalgic. This thing is like... some sort of remix of the regular theme, but I can't really say that for sure. The RBY is simple, yet effective. I can't talk about instruments or anything, but it's definitely very catchy. It does make you feel like you just accomplished something important. I'm sure I can play this to some of the toughest guys out there, and they'll probably soft down a little. It's like your childhood in a small, 2 minute package. The FRLG tries too hard if you ask me. It starts more silent, slowly. It catches up relatively quickly, but you know what? It just doesn't have the same impact. It's like the ending of an epic adventure, and that's not what you want to hear! It doesn't get good until it feels more like the original. The melody's there, but everything else isn't. It has the essence, but times have gone on. It's something I can't quite describe that gets to me when listening to this. Of course, the new version is 4 minutes long when the other one was around 2 minutes long, so yeah, lots of filler. Makes me think they tried hard with it. Like they were inspired when doing it. Doesn't mean it came off as great as it could potentially have, but gotta give them some credit for the sheer amount of remixes thrown in. The last one is just my assumption that Route 33 from GSC is based off loosely on the ending theme of GSC. The beginning sounds quite the same, and I just made this discovery to be honest. I started listening to the tune and it felt oddly familiar - hey, it's the GSC route theme! The YouTube link is glitched up or something, but I couldn't find a better one. Enjoy the one second. >_> #578 - Overworld *Game: Super Mario Bros. 3 *System: NES *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-P1No0e6V4&fmt=18 I'm not really sure why this is so high up. It might be the amount of memories it brings back. We didn't own SMB3 for the NES, but we really wanted it (we as in my sister and I). So yeah, we went to our cousin's house to play it. Freaking awesome. One day, they NES broke down and they gave us their games to us. Including this beautiful, beautiful gem. We couldn't play it for long because our own NES broke down. It was kinda saddening. We got it to a repairer, but they said nothing could be done. Oh, well. So much for nothing. It's probably somewhere in the garage alongside my brother's old and dusty Atari. The song itself isn't really special at all. It's sweet, but nothing worth of the Top 600. My mistake. Honestly though, just listening to this makes me happy inside. I just feel at ease. Relaxed, calm, collected. As if nothing could disturb me and my childhood nostalgia. Silly me. >_> #577 - Love in in the Air *Game: Yoshi's Story *System: N64 *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS74ixjy7PA&fmt=18 The title makes me feel a bit like puking. >_> Ugh, so damn cheesy. Either way, this is one of my favorite renditions of the Yoshi's Story theme. The strings in the back are just incredible background choices, and there's a great pacing here unique to this and only this version of the song. I see no reason to group it with, say, Yo Yo Yoshi. This is more spectacular, more beautiful. The cello-like thing is also quite pleasing. I'm not really how to put it but as if I was floating in the air - loveless, yes, but at least half of the title is right. Pretty song, and that about sums it up. I never get tired of listening to it. I could have it on repeat for hours and I wouldn't get bored. Now, that would take away all possible magic this ever offered, but it'd still be good homework material. It's still not the BEST version of the theme, though! #576 - Delightful Day *Game: Tales of Symphonia *System: GC *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eONn9BNQ0W8&fmt=18 I have this strange love/hate relationship with this theme. At times I feel like it's some of the best ToS themes, and two minutes later I find myself laughing as to how I could even think that. So I balanced things out, and the result is #576. This had a place in my iPod for a while, actually. Yes, my pathetic 100 song-capacity iPod Shuffle. I had to sacrifice it as it was too long and not rewarding enough. But it did last a couple of months, I think. Either way, this song can be separated into two obvious parts. I'll start with the second, the worse one. It's... completely ToS-generic and boring. I find myself thinking, "how could they ruin a good song so easily?". The melody itself isn't bad, it just feels generic and... well, irrelevant. It isn't catchy or memorable, it just... exists. Way to go. The first part is where its at. Spot-on, uses some annoying instrument I have no knowledge of. I don't really mind, though. Gives some character to the song. I can safely say that if it wasn't for that thing, the song just wouldn't be the same at all. I'm thinking it has to do with its weirdness, in fact. I just haven't heard that anywhere else. Either way, it's good, but not in excess. Get too much of that instrument, and you'll probably lose your mind in the process. It's good for small doses, kinda like a drug. Then it just... doesn't quite hit the spot. #575 - Grand Metropolis *Game: Sonic Heroes *System: GC *YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ-OqqR3P5U&fmt=18 This starts off really promising. Sonic likes casinos and -polis places, so having this as a stage in Sonic Heroes came off as absolutely expected. I thought it was fun enough. Either way, there's a lot of missed potential here. The whole "setting" was an excellent idea. The execution leaves some to be desired, especially the, uh, "breakdown"-kinda parts. Those silent ones that sounds like badly-remixed electronica tunes? Yeah, those parts. >_> The fuse between the techno and the guitar works well for this song. It's enjoyable from beginning to end, but there's something missing here. It's as if it never had any direction at all. It feels oddly repetitive because, honestly, there's no changes here. It's like the same few notes played over and over again, although that would be a lie. It just... feels like that, awkwardly so. It's still hella good, but as I mentioned before, it's at its best in the beginning, when you still think things are going to turn out awesome. Category:User Projects